This Blind Record Shop Owner Recognizes His Collection By Touch

The Galeria Boulevard, a classic shopping gallery in the gritty center of São Paulo, is known around the city as a mecca for vinyl collectors. Dozens of record stores line its upper floor, but one in particular stands out from the crowd: Cel-Som Discos and its charismatic owner, Celso Marcílio, who lost his sight 20 years ago.

For the last ten years, 51-year-old Celso has run his store with the help of his wife and became famous for reportedly having the ability to recognize his collection by using only his sense of touch.

When The Culture Trip met with Celso, on a sweltering São Paulo afternoon, he tried to play down his extraordinary talent. “I’ve always been disorganized, which is really bad for a disabled person”, he explained. “My wife organizes the records, so I always know where they are.”

Despite his modesty however, it is clear that Celso does in fact have an extremely refined sense of touch when it comes to his collection. “Some records have certain characteristics, so when I’m putting them away, I can identify them.” Examples of these minute details he is able to recognize range from the thickness of the record or its sleeve, to labels on the cover or even whether the record itself has been damaged or repaired. “There are things that, when looking at the records, you don’t notice. For people who can see, it looks difficult, but for someone who cannot see, it’s not difficult at all.”

Celso had always been interested in music, but it was only after losing his sight that he truly fell in love with the artform. “Music is the primordial sound of the creation of the world, the world is made of sounds, everything is connected to music.”

When asked about his dreams, Celso’s eyes light up. “This is another advantage of being blind, I dream every day, and almost every day I remember my dreams. I dream in color, I see people I’ve never seen before in my life”, he laughs. Music also plays a big part in Celso’s dreams. “Sometimes I dream about records that don’t even exist, and I create these wild psychedelic album covers for them.”

Besides being able to identify his records, there are other signals Celso is able to pick up on which often go unnoticed by the naked eye. “There are people who come in and shake my hand and I’ll be able to identify who it is (…) by the texture of the hand, by the way they squeeze your hand”. He is also known for recognizing customers just by the sound of their footsteps. “Everyone walks with a different beat”, he explained.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.